Miho & Diego Duo Inter-Island Spring Concerts and Workshops

Concerts and Workshops on Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw Islands

The exciting Miho & Diego Duo is coming to the San Juan Islands March 28th through April 1st as part of Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s Musicians-in-Residence program. In addition to their work in the schools on Lopez, Shaw, and Orcas, Miho and Diego will bring free family concerts to all three islands and free World rhythm workshops to the Orcas and Lopez communities, thanks in part to a generous grant from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Miho & Diego Duo has been boldly blending Latin and Japanese musical traditions since 2006, encouraging cultural understanding through music. Miho Takekawa and Diego Coy formed their duo after years of admiring each other’s work and discovering that their sounds could be combined to make something genuinely new and unique. Miho graduated from Kunitachi School of Music in her native Japan before earning her Master’s and Doctorate in percussion performance from the University of Washington School of Music. She now teaches at Pacific Lutheran University, where she heads the percussion studio and directs the school’s percussion and steel pan ensembles. Diego was born in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and is former musical director of “Fundacion Viva La Musica” and “Fundacion Funmusica.” He is currently a master of exploring the musical traditions of his own native culture by playing Andean flute, panpipes, and many other traditional instruments. Together, this talented duo introduces their distinctive, warm native music and encourages the audience to join in the fun, clapping rhythms and singing in both Japanese and Spanish. Miho and Diego understand the importance of cultural awareness and believe music is a key component.

Miho and Diego begin their residency on Orcas Island Tuesday, March 28th. They will work with Orcas Island High School and Middle School bands and at Salmonberry, Montessori, Kaleidoscope, and Children’s House preschools.

Tuesday evening, all who have an interest in percussion are invited to a free World Rhythm Workshop at the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall from 6:00-7:00pm. All skill levels are welcome at this workshop.

On Wednesday, March 29th, it’s Lopez Island’s turn to play at the World Rhythm Workshop, from 7:00-8:00pm at Grace Church. Again, all skill levels are welcome at this free event.

The next evening, Thursday, March 30th, Lopez Islanders are invited to a “Musical Trip Around the World,” a free family concert at Lopez Center for Community and the Arts at 6:30pm.

Miho and Diego will be busy in the daytime during their Lopez Island stay, working with Lopez Public School kindergarten through high school classes and the little ones at Lopez Island Children’s Center.

Miho and Diego make a stop on Shaw Island on Friday, March 31st, to work with the Shaw School students during the day, and then present their “Musical Trip Around the World” to Shaw Islanders young and young at heart. Enjoy this free family concert at the Shaw Island Community Building at 6:30pm.

On Saturday, April 1st, at 2:00pm, Orcas Islanders will be treated to the Miho & Diego Duo’s “Musical Trip Around the World” at the Odd Fellows Hall. This free concert will be fun for all!

Don’t miss these educational and entertaining workshops and concerts! For more information, contact Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival at 360-376-6636 or email info@oicmf.org.

Aloysia Friedmann, Founder and Artistic DirectorMs. Friedmann is a violinist and violist, whose broad-ranging career has included tours in Japan, Europe, South America and the U.S., performances with New York's most prestigious musical ensembles, and a special onstage role on Broadway. Trained at The Juilliard School and the University of Washington, Friedmann plays on a Grancino violin and a Grancino viola.